Isaiah 3:16-25 (Daily Verse and Comment)

  Isaiah 3:16-25

(16) Moreover the LORD says: 
“ Because the daughters of Zion are haughty, 
And walk with outstretched necks 
And wanton eyes, 
Walking and mincing as they go, 
Making a jingling with their feet, 
(17) Therefore the Lord will strike with a scab 
The crown of the head of the daughters of Zion, 
And the LORD will uncover their secret parts.” 
(18) In that day the Lord will take away the finery: 
The jingling anklets, the scarves, and the crescents; 
(19) The pendants, the bracelets, and the veils; 
(20) The headdresses, the leg ornaments, and the headbands; 
The perfume boxes, the charms, (21) and the rings;
The nose jewels, (22) the festal apparel, and the mantles;
The outer garments, the purses, (23) and the mirrors;
The fine linen, the turbans, and the robes. (24) And so it shall be: 
Instead of a sweet smell there will be a stench; 
Instead of a sash, a rope; 
Instead of well-set hair, baldness; 
Instead of a rich robe, a girding of sackcloth; 
And branding instead of beauty. 
(25) Your men shall fall by the sword, 
And your mighty in the war. 

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This section begins with a description of the haughtiness of Israelite women. God illustrates the pride of Israel's women in the way they walk, their dress, and the use their eyes. Instead of being modestly well-dressed and dignified, the walk, the dress, the whole appearance is designed to impress others and frankly, to scorn them. It is also designed to bring attention, prestige, and acclaim to the self.

It is common in society for modern parents to encourage, passively or not, their adolescent daughters to grow up too soon by wearing clothing, shoes, and other pieces of apparel designed to draw attention to the wrong things, for the wrong reasons, at the wrong time. They give in to their children's pressure, who have already surrendered to the pressure of their peers. God says the problem is pride.

Isaiah 3:16 is an almost savage denunciation. Why is it so harsh? It is interesting to consider this in light of when it was written, around the time Israel fell and several decades before Judah's fall. Isaiah was a prophet to Judah, but before it succumbed to the Babylonians, Judahite society had disintegrated badly. Morality was at a low ebb.

The reason Isaiah 3:16 contains such a harsh denunciation is because of the influence that women hold over a nation's morality—God expects them to be the primary, daily instructors of their children. If women largely determine the character of a nation through their instruction of their children in morality, spirituality, and ideals, then they wield critical power over the nation's future. They determine whether ideals of purity, integrity, unselfishness, and faith will prevail or fall.

It ought not to be this way because the weight of instruction should fall at least equally on men. But in reality, because there is such a double standard in the world, women do most of the teaching. So when that line of defense—the moral teaching of women—breaks, and the morality of women becomes debased, then there is no hope for the nation.

Pride distorts a person's thinking into misconceiving one's function. We can apply this to what is happening in our nation. Will women fill the role God designed for them, or will they fulfill the role that the world has designed for them? God says in the next chapter that, if they choose wrongly, He will punish women by taking away their men.

— John W. Ritenbaugh